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Engineered Chemical Nanotopographies: Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain-Transfer Mediated Grafting of
Cary A Kuliasha1, Rebecca L Fedderwitz1, John A Finlay2
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering , University of Florida , Gainesville , Florida 32611 , United States.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|December 13, 2019
Summary
Developing novel antifouling coatings is crucial for maritime sustainability. This study explored patterned surfaces against marine algae, finding specific geometries, not just chemical properties, significantly reduce biofouling.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Marine Biology
- Surface Chemistry
Background:
- Marine biofouling poses significant challenges to maritime operations, necessitating environmentally friendly solutions.
- Understanding the relationship between surface properties and biofouling is key to developing effective antifouling coatings.
- Existing antifouling strategies face limitations due to the complexity of fouling organisms and their adhesion mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate novel antifouling surfaces using controlled anisotropic poly(acrylamide) patterns on silicone rubber.
- To investigate the antibiofouling efficacy of these tailored surfaces against Ulva linza zoospores.
- To explore the impact of specific chemical geometries and microtopographies on algal spore attachment.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of chemical patterns using reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) living polymerization and photolithography.
- Creation of anisotropic poly(acrylamide) patterns with feature sizes ranging from 2 to 10 μm and heights from tens to hundreds of nanometers.
- Testing antibiofouling efficacy by measuring algal spore attachment density on patterned and non-patterned surfaces.
Main Results:
- Non-patterned poly(acrylamide) surfaces reduced algal spore attachment by 59% compared to controls.
- Chemical nanotopographies did not show a statistically significant difference in attachment compared to controls.
- Sharklet-patterned surfaces, when below a critical size of 5 μm, significantly reduced algal spore density compared to channel geometries.
Conclusions:
- Surface geometry, particularly at the microscale, plays a critical role in inhibiting marine biofouling.
- Tailored chemical topographies, when properly sized, can influence algal spore behavior and offer potential for new antifouling strategies.
- Further research into the mechanistic interactions between surface topography and biofouling organisms is warranted.
